I thought it lended my name a little gravitas. Otherwise it’s kind of a girly name, no? Maybe that’s just because I see every letter as a color, and Pamela is a very pink word, and Olson is white. J is seafoam green, so it makes it more balanced.

J. K. Rowling put her middle initial, and that turned out all right…

On the down side, it will make it easier for the Israelis to sniff me out. I’ll be 25/26 less likely to be able to lie about who I am at the border.

Definitely the second one. It’s much more professionally-looking and memorable, which I think is crucial for online sales (think tiny thumbnails). In that respect, the ‘J’ would probably also help (and it sounds better, despite the seafoam). Though, I agree on the ‘human’ aspect part of the first one, and the main selling point of the first is that it’s got a more dynamic look to it, while the second could be mistaken for a historical/academic book. Maybe you could invigorate the second one by using a more modern fontset for the title?

the second one is better, but you could shrink that image of yourself (with the camera) and place it in the middle where the white part of the palstinian flag is, like right above your name. then you would look like you were walking towards palestine.
I don’t really like the first one but its OK. I like that image of you. I really do not like the siluette of the girl with the huka…at all

Pamela, the reason I don’t like the huka smoking girl is because even though the book is not necessarrily (or at all) marketed toward palestinians, I truly believe palistinian americans, or palestinian candians, or even in the UK…will actually buy this book. The image of the girl with the huka would instantly turn many of them off from buying it…But its totally up to you.

Thanks for your feedback, Kerri. What do you think of the current design concept? It still has a hookah girl, but she doesn’t look like a trucker’s mud flap! I’m going for a little edgy, very unexpected, and both familiar and strange at the same time. Hopefully it will make it past most Palestinian-Americans’ haraam-filters.